History SoYouWantTo / WriteAShonenSeries

* Make TheHero a boyish girl. Not necessarily TheLadette, but a {{Tomboy}}, a {{Bokukko}}, or an OtakuSurrogate. It's not like it hasn't [[Manga/SoulEater been]] [[Manga/{{Claymore}} done]] [[LightNovel/{{Slayers}} before]]. For a CherryTapping, you get an [[MsFanservice endless supply of fanservice]] right there on the front lines.

* You know how a lot of shonen manga tend to have a TournamentArc, right? Well, usually it’s a fighting tournament in a big arena or something like that. But what if it was a different kind of competition instead, like a [[TheBigRace big race]]? Or an extreme [[ImmoralRealityShow reality show]]? Or [[TheOlympics an Olympics-esque event]] where characters compete in multiple smaller sports? And if you still want the characters to directly fight each other, then how about making it legal for participants to use their powers to attack and interfere with each other in the competition? Having characters fight while also navigating through a deadly race track or dangerous obstacle course would make for some interesting fight scenes.

* The BattleCouple: Your main audience is guys. If there's one way to suck them into the relationship of a pair, it's to have them ''both'' be on the front lines, as equals. Give them powers that complement one another better than [[FiveManBand the rest]], or have it so they can't do as much unless they're together. (The Nirvash from ''Anime/EurekaSeven'', a HumongousMecha which the two main characters could only pilot together, is a good example of how to do it right). TheChick barely getting involved in the fight is overdone; the LadyOfWar who saved {{The Hero}}'s ass ''again'' while working on the bet they made to see who's on top tonight will be a few metric tons more interesting. And of course, you can always make your hero's LoveInterest a full-fledged ActionGirl.

* {{Gender invert|edTrope}} some traditional shonen character roles. Make TheLancer or TheRival an {{Aloof Dark Haired|Girl}} ActionGirl. Make TheChick a [[{{Keet}} cheerful]] NonActionGuy. Or just go with the above suggestion and make the hero female.
* Instead of TheChick, why not give the role of the hero's [[LoveInterests Love Interest]] to, say, TheLancer? It could make for some interesting relationship development, especially if TheLancer also doubles as TheRival.

!!'''Casting Director'''

At the core of every Shonen show is its FiveManBand:

* TheHero: Wants ToBeAMaster. Usually BookDumb. The hero gets all the NextTierPowerUp items, and is generally the only one able to defeat the BigBad. He (it's usually a "he") will win his battles by lots of HeroicResolve, because he's such a {{Determinator}} like that.
* TheLancer: In terms of motivation, TheLancer usually wants to kill or defeat someone from his past. If this is the case, there's always an episode early on where they meet said person, and are absolutely destroyed. TheLancer is usually the second strongest member of the team.
* TheChick: A difficult character to do well, often making her TheScrappy. If she's there for simple eye candy then maybe it's best to let her stay in the background looking pretty, or if you're feeling a little braver she might do well with a wacky personality. Giving her useful skills can help; maybe she has HealingHands, or you could make her a WrenchWench or a WaifProphet. And she could always be an ActionGirl who joins fully in the fights.
* TheBigGuy: This character is [[InformedAbility really strong, tough and powerful]], powerful enough to [[TheWorfEffect lose repeatedly against all the major enemies]] (when that isn't TheLancer's job). Generally physically bigger than the other characters and more heavily muscled, their brute strength often comes in useful even if their fighting record is somewhat less impressive. This character is often a good choice for your TokenMinority or CaptainEthnic. (Chad from ''Manga/{{Bleach}}'' is a textbook example.)
* TheSmartGuy: Usually doesn't get much screen time, unless he can show some AwesomenessByAnalysis of his own. He is usually stays back while others fight and comes up with new ways how to overcome the newest obstacle or empower TheHero even more.

AnachronismStew is your friend. Only wusses restrict themselves to a single time period. A REAL MASTER knows that atomic ninja are better than regular ninja, steampunk pirates beat ordinary pirates, and EverythingsBetterWithDinosaurs. And of course, [[KatanasAreJustBetter the Katana]] is a tasteful adornment to any time period.

Alright, rule number one of shonen is simple: say no to the SpotlightStealingSquad. Yes, you would assume TheHero gets a vast majority of the spotlight -- but that's okay, he's the ''main character''. Sure, we all know you want to focus on that angsty, brooding [[TheLancer Lancer]]...but give him some time out of the spotlight, too. (This is especially true if the story has LoadsAndLoadsOfCharacters.)

* DemotedToExtra[=/=]OutOfFocus. Beware these tropes, especially if your story has LoadsAndLoadsOfCharacters. Granted, if you have a large cast, you can't give every character a major role in every episode. However, fans of a particular character won't be happy if they think their favorite is getting slighted, especially if he or she was introduced as a major player in the story. Of course, one way to avoid these tropes is to keep your cast fairly small.

* If you are using StockSuperpowers, you can make a lot out of them:

* To make your fights even grander and epic, give your hero and his enemies StockSuperpowers, related to said SeriousBusiness that he wants ToBeAMaster of. Choose wisely what kind of powers each character gets, as they must reflect their personality and background.

Ah, ''{{shonen}}''. 90% of anime exported to America falls under this category. If you want to market your anime/manga/whatever to young guys, read this...

* FailureHero. If it's bad to have your heroes win too often, it's also bad to have them ''lose'' too often. If they continually suffer TheWorfEffect, then your show will wind up as SnarkBait. And if you establish your characters as competent fighters, only to have them start losing battles they should have won as the story progresses, fans might start complaining about CharacterDerailment.

Do your characters go to school? Well, they'll need their uniforms. They probably won't change out of them too terribly often, either. Japanese schoolchildren love fighting evil in their uniforms.

* Motivation: ''Why'' does TheHero want ToBeAMaster? To [[WellDoneSonGuy please his parents]]? To get everyone to notice him? To win the heart of his love interest? Or is it a more selfish goal, like fame and fortune? What will he have to sacrifice ToBeAMaster? How does one become a master? Will he encounter any potential rivals?

* Motivation: ''Why'' does TheHero want ToBeAMaster? To [[WellDoneSonGuy please his parents]]? To get everyone to notice him? To win the heart of his love interest? Or is it a more selfish goal, like fame or fortune? What will he have to sacrifice ToBeAMaster? How does one become a master? Will he encounter any potential rivals?

* ''Manga/HunterXHunter'':

%%* ''Manga/SoulEater''

%%* ''Manga/{{Bleach}}''

Alright, rule number one of shonen is simple: say no to the SpotlightStealingSquad. Yes, you would assume TheHero gets a vast majority of the spotlight -- but that's okay, he's the ''main character''. Sure, we all know you want to focus on that angsty, brooding Lancer...but give him some time out of the spotlight, too. (This is especially true if the story has LoadsAndLoadsOfCharacters.)

** '''Case in point''': ''Franchise/DragonBall'' is well known for its cast of characters, but by the time of the Majin Buu saga of ''Anime/DragonBallZ'', most of the characters introduced in the original ''Manga/DragonBall'' manga (especially the Earthlings, who were eclipsed by the Saiyans) were totally useless and OutOfFocus due to the author not knowing what to do with them. The fact that Gohan, Goten and Trunks, who started off as the protagonists, were taken down by the villain in order for Son Goku to return to life is considered a waste for many readers, especially since Gohan was build up as Goku's succesor since the start of ''Z''. In both sequels to ''Dragon Ball Z'' (''Anime/DragonBallGT'' and ''Anime/DragonBallSuper''), the creators were guilty of only giving focus to a small selection of characters while the rest simply didn't do anything.

** '''Case in point''': ''Anime/DragonBallZ'' is well known for its cast of characters, but by the time of the Majin Buu saga, most of the characters (Especially the Earthlings, who were eclipsed by the Saiyans) were totally useless and OutOfFocus due to the author not knowing what to do with them. The fact Gohan, Goten and Trunks, who started off as the protagonists were taken down by the villain in order for Son Goku to return to life is considered a waste for many readers, especially since Gohan was build up as Goku's succesor since the start of Z. In both sequels to ''Dragon Ball Z'' (GT and Super), the creators were guilty of only giving focus to a small selection of characters while the rest simply didn't do anything.